TOPSHOP'S TOP TRUMPS

COLEEN take note: TopShop is set to launch a flagship store in Manchester. Expect the clatter of Chloe wedges as Manchester Utd's leading ladies beat a path to the (floor to ceiling curved), door at the prospect of VIP treatments aplenty. The store, which is the second largest after Oxford Street, has an exclusive 'changing suite' area for those too fabulous to shop with the masses - complete with antique furniture, free consultations and a speed payment service. Speaking of which, its website is undergoing a revamp, too, and from June customers will be able to buy 100% of TopShop stock online. The company, which only sells a capsule collection of key items via the current site each season, plans also to add an online photographer's studio to shoot all stock as it arrives in store. And it's going to give all the luxury online sales teams a run for their money too, with gorgeous packaging for all the send-outs to arrive in. The boxes, plain on the outside, can be re-assembled to create a newly printed box in a selection of limited edition prints. And they're recyclable. The world domination goes on... After selling its fashion range, Unique, to New York boutique Opening Ceremony and Paris' Colette, brand director Jane Sheperdson has revealed that TopShop is now on the verge of branching out to Tokyo, Hong Kong and L.A. "There's a website in Japan with 3,000 TopShop fans blogging about how much they love our store," she told Drapers. (April 10 2006, AM)Stephen Doig